Memory Loss
by xDJNx
Summary: After Katherine has Jenna stab herself, she steals Elena's necklace and compells her to forget both the Salvatore brothers. How will the two of them react to the girl they love not recognizing them?  Stelena/Delena/Steferine fluff & citrus
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Jenna, this is all my fault," Elena whispered, sitting next to her aunt's hospital bed. "If I would have just done what Katherine wanted me to, you wouldn't have been in danger and you wouldn't be here." Tears slipped down her cheeks as guilt hit her like a semi. All of this was her fault. She had thought she and Stefan could get away with it and her aunt had paid the price. Her family could be in danger if she saw him again.

Silence overpowered every other sense in the room. Even the buzz of the machines seemed muted, far away. It was as if the entire world was bearing down on her and knew what she had done. What she had risked. And everything in her mind was screaming at how selfish she was, how much she had given up for a little time with someone she couldn't even have a future with.

Soft footsteps invaded her private hell, bringing her eyes up and to the door. Jeremy and Alaric stood there, both looking at her with clear pity in their eyes. She didn't want to see it. They shouldn't feel bad for her. They shouldn't be hugging her shoulders. They should have been yelling at her, shunning her. It was all her fault that Jenna was hurt and they were acting as if it were an accident.

"Elena, don't beat yourself up," Jeremy was saying, rubbing her back comfortingly. "If you blame anyone, it should be Katherine." His tone was tense and his fists clenched on her back. There was an angry pause, then he murmured, "She's gonna get what's coming to her. I'll make sure of it."

A flash of fear swept through her. She was on her feet without hesitation and she screamed, "You're going to stay away from her, even if I have to lock you in your room!" She shook him, trying to control the fear filling her. "You have to promise me that you won't go after her yourself! She's dangerous!"

Alaric was there suddenly, pulling her away from her shocked brother. "Elena, calm down. Someone is going to hear and wonder what's going on. We have to be extremely careful with what we say anywhere."

The history teacher pulled her into a hug, though it wasn't as awkward as one would think. At that moment, they weren't teacher and pupil, just two people that cared for the same woman that was lying just a few feet away. So Elena let herself cry into his shoulder, uncaring of whether anyone saw. She felt all the weight of the world crashing around her and nothing was going to stop her pain.

"Uhm, Mr. Saltzman? Can we please speak privately in the hall?"

The uncomfortable doctor shifted as if to show Alaric the way out, moving to the side to follow him from the room, leaving Elena and Jeremy alone in the sterile room. Neither looked at the other, but both knew what the other was thinking. That's what it was like to be close siblings; you just _knew_.

"It must be bad news," Jeremy noted sadly, turning away and hiding his face from view. She could hear the choking sound in his voice. "They must be worried about her getting better."

Elena said nothing. She didn't dare. Anything she said, any apology or explanation, would just sound stupid compared to what they were going through. It wouldn't mean anything. Everyone knew that hindsight was twenty-twenty. And she should have just listened to her vampire ancestor to begin with.

"I'm sorry," she finally mumbled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother turn towards her. "It's my fault this happened. I shouldn't have risked my family's safety just for more time with Stefan. I mean, it's not like I have any real future with him, anyways." With that, she left the room, walking right past Alaric and the doctor, who looked at her with concern.

"Elena, where are you going?" Alaric shouted down the hall, moving after her. When she didn't slow down, he jogged towards her. "Elena!"

She walked faster, nearly running down the hall now. She had to get out. She couldn't stay and be coddled by people that should be hating her for what she'd done. It was all her fault and they acted like it didn't matter.

Finally, Alaric caught up with her and grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him. "Where are you going? You have to be careful out there; Katherine could come after you next." His eyes searched hers and she felt like he thought of her as a surrogate daughter. She didn't deserve it.

Shaking off his hand, she said, "I'm going to tell Stefan that it's over. Then I'm going to go home and try to make up for almost killing my aunt." She spun on her heel away from him and was out the door in the blink of an eye. She knew that Alaric was no doubt staring after her, wondering what he should—or could—do, but she couldn't let anyone else fix this for her. She needed to take care of this by herself, otherwise Katherine wouldn't accept it.

Her footsteps echoed ominously in the quiet parking lot and there was a ringing in her ears. Something about the silence bothered her, sending chills up her spine and quickening her already fast pace. Though at that moment she couldn't know for sure whether it was just paranoia or if she really did have someone watching her, Elena didn't want to take any chances. She had her keys out and ready and held her aunt's real vervain perfume in her hand, hoping it would act as pepper spray for any vampires she might encounter.

The drive to the Salvatore boarding house was long, giving her time to think. Could she really be strong enough after a night like this to turn away from Stefan, from the love she felt for him, forever? She felt so emotionally drained, she didn't know if she could stand it. She realized that she wasn't strong enough to give up on him even with Jenna lying in the hospital after almost killing herself.

Spinning the wheel, she made a sharp U-turn and went back home. She would go to him in the morning, maybe just at school. A public place would be easier, she knew. That way, she wouldn't have to decide when to walk away from him. The bell would take care of that.

Every light but the one on the porch was out, leaving her with a feeling of emptiness. She'd never seen her house without at least one indoor light on, not even after her parents had died. But now, she was alone in a big house that held too many memories—good and bad. She didn't know whether to be glad for the time to sink into her own mind or upset.

Slipping out of her car, she locked her doors, making sure to ready the key to her house, just in case there was a new vampire lurking around. Ever since she was brought into this world of magic and mystery, she'd learned to keep herself as protected as possible. If that meant always having something sharp around, she could handle that. And if that didn't work, she could at least incapacitate her attacker until she was in her home. There, she could deny them entrance until the end of time. Or maybe just sunrise.

That feeling of being watched brought the hairs on the back of her neck back up again, bringing her mind to play tricks on her. She could have sworn she saw someone standing on her porch, but in the blink of an eye, the feminine silhouette was gone.

She shook her head, knowing that she needed to start worrying more about protecting her family rather than focusing on vampires. At this point, Katherine was probably gloating about her victory, despite using such underhanded tactics. And if she wasn't around, what other she-vampire was out there looking for Elena?

The doppelganger should have known better. When she entered her own home, she should have remembered that no one had been thinking about turning off the lights as the ambulance had flown into the driveway. She should have listened to those instincts telling her that something was off, that someone was watching her.

If she would have, maybe she would have had time to run away.

_Scene Change!_

"I just got a call from Alaric," Damon said quietly from the doorway of his brother's room, watching Stefan swallow the liquor in his glass in a single gulp. "Jenna was touch and go for awhile, but now she's stable. They want to keep her there for a few days just to keep an eye on her, but they'll probably release her before the week is out."

Stefan said nothing, just poured himself a little more. His hands were shaking as he slammed back some more, flinching at the bite of it in his raw throat. "It's all my fault. If I had just backed away from Elena, wouldn't have let myself think that I could get away with it, this wouldn't have happened." Anger swelled within him. He picked up his desk and threw it across the room. "It's all my fault!"

Damon was instantly by Stefan's side, holding the arm that had thrown the desk. "Stefan, it isn't your fault!" When his younger brother tried to break the hold, the elder Salvatore simply threw him across the room, planting a boot on Stefan's chest to hold him down. "Yes, it was naïve of you to underestimate Katherine's power. But it isn't your fault that she gave you this ultimatum. You did everything you could. So stop will all this self-pity bullshit and help me figure out a way to kill her."

A soft chuckle came from the open doorway. Both brothers' gazes slowly moved to where a curly-haired brunette stood, smirking at them. She took several slow, sashaying steps into the room, acting as if all were right in the world.

"I see you finally woke up to what I meant by 'remove her from your life'," Katherine murmured as the brothers moved to their feet. "And how very unfortunate that poor aunt Jenna was the one to pay for your mistakes. It most certainly _is_ yours and my little doppelganger's fault that she's on her deathbed now." Though her voice was a purr, her words were like venom, sending the pain of guilt through Stefan's body.

Damon instinctively took on the big-brother-protecting-little-brother role with a step forward, almost blocking Stefan from view. "Is that all you're here for, Katherine? To brag about how you almost killed some human woman?" The words were coming out of his mouth without much thought, his anger fueling the mocking tone of his voice. "And you call yourself a real vampire?" he scoffed, though he was mentally berating himself for his stupidity.

Wasn't his inability to control his mouth the whole reason they were in this mess? If he hadn't taunted her with Mason's death, maybe Jenna would be in the Gilbert house, whole and happy. Instead, he'd gotten her compelled to kill herself. And it was really _his_ fault. He had to provoke the beast that Katherine was and Elena was paying the price for it.

"Oh, Damon. You always had such beautiful eyes and wicked words," Katherine mocked, running a finger along the underside of his chin. Her face moved closer to his, as if she were about to kiss him. "I love that about you," she murmured, a hair's breadth away from his lips.

"And you're a conniving, manipulative bitch." He stepped back just a foot, returning her smirk. "If I had the chance, I would kill you for that."

Stefan stumbled closer to her, the alcohol hitting his system hard. "Katherine, you're involving innocent people in something that's between us. There was no reason for you to hurt Elena's aunt Jenna." His voice was quiet as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "If you wanted to come after Elena and me, you should have been direct about it!" How his voice had gone from so low to so loud in just a few words was enough to shock both of the other vampires in the room.

And when he moved so fast that neither of them could see him, his hand clenching around Katherine's throat menacingly, Damon was completely taken off guard.

Stefan's face was contorted with his fury, mere inches away from Katherine's wide eyed features. He slammed her head back on the old wall of his room, leaving a dent there. "I'm going to rip you apart with my bare hands," he snarled, fangs lengthening in his mouth.

Just as suddenly as he had her pinned, Katherine had his throat in her hand, laughing in his face when his breath was cut short. "You look so…_sexy_ when you're angry, Stefan." She brought his face closer to hers, smiling. "I just wish you wouldn't waste time with that lookalike me when I'd gladly offer you the real thing."

Damon broke her hold on Stefan and threw her across the room. "Elena is _nothing_ like you, Katherine. Don't ever act like you're better than her." He didn't even try to stop his response that would no doubt cause more tension between him and his little brother. How was that any different than it had been ever since Katherine had wriggled her way into their lives?

Standing, she wiped the remainder of the table that she'd broken through off her clothes. She crossed her arms over her chest and took measured steps towards the brothers as if they were her prey. "Damon, you know why you were so in love with me, don't you?"

He swallowed hard. He didn't want that drudged up again. He didn't want to remember that, just as Elena was now doing, Katherine had chosen to love his brother over him. He didn't want to think that the feelings that he'd had for her were nothing but mind control.

"I _compelled_ you to love me, to devote your entire _being_ to me. And you took that compulsion all the way to your death and new life." Tilting her head to the side, she added in a childishly faked compassionate tone, "Poor wittle Damon. Thinking that he could ever beat his little brother in the game of love."

Of course, he knew that she was just trying to antagonize him. And he knew that he shouldn't take the bait. But he did.

Lunging for her, he met air, knew that the presence at his back was her, that she was about to hurt him in a very bad way. So he tried to dodge.

Of course, she beat him to the punch.

He felt the vervain covered dagger pierce his stomach before he knew what was happening. Burning pain spread through his body, even as he heard Stefan gasp in a harsh breath. Knowing that she must have done the same thing to Stefan that she'd done to him, Damon tried to bring himself upright.

Katherine's boot to his back stopped him from doing that. Leaning down to whisper in his ear, she grabbed his hair to hold his head back and purred, "I'm going to do the worst thing you or Stefan could imagine in such a situation. By tomorrow morning, both of you are going to be wishing that you'd done as I told you in the first place." She threw his head to the floor and he knew she was out the door in a matter of seconds.

Rolling onto his side, Damon breathed, "She's…she's going…after Elena." He continued trying to bring himself up from the floor, but the pain was so excruciating that he couldn't even do something as simple as that.

"We have…to save her," Stefan replied just as harshly. His hand was clutched at his wound, which dripped vervain onto his hand, causing more burning.

At this pace, there wasn't a chance of them saving her. For the first time in his century and a half of undead living, Damon Salvatore felt completely vulnerable and weak. There was nothing that he could do to protect the woman he loved from the woman that wanted to kill her.

He had to save Elena.

_Scene Change!_

Elena stood in front of her mirror, getting ready for bed. She didn't like the sounds her creaky old house made whenever the wind blew. On edge from the whole day leading up to that moment, she jumped at every gust that shook her house. Somehow, though, she'd forgotten her fear long enough to shower and blow dry her hair, but now she was left with shadows and silence that made her even more paranoid than she ever had been.

It was as if the house were talking to her, telling her secrets and stories. Whenever there was a high groan, it was like it was trying to tell her of a tragedy. She couldn't tell whether it was in the future or past, but it grabbed her heart and squeezed, bringing a lump into her throat.

_You have nothing to worry about,_ she thought to herself. _It's just an old house that creaks in the wind._ Brushing her hair, she tried to think about something other than vampires and death and what had happened to Jenna. Maybe she would actually be able sleep that night if she could focus on anything else.

She heard the door open and close downstairs, drawing her out of any thoughts she might have almost been able to change her worries to.

"Jeremy?" she shouted out her door, leaning into the hallway. When no response came, she added tentatively, "Alaric?" No response once again. So, she crept into the hallway one step at a time, slowly searching for something that could have made the noise. "Is somebody home?"

She half expected her brother to appear at the end of the stairs, putting a finger to his lips to signal silence. Maybe Jenna had just needed stitches and had come home. Maybe Jeremy had followed her home, wanting to make sure she was okay.

And maybe she could really convince herself that a vampire wasn't lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack her.

Shaking her head, Elena went back into her room, sliding into her bed. She didn't have the energy to write, though she definitely wanted to talk to someone about what she was feeling. But was there really a point? Anything she said would just sound stupid and selfish.

A chill went up her spine and she spun to find herself alone with a very angry vampire.

"K-Katherine. What are you doing here?" she stammered, taking a step back. Her eyes filled with tears at the reminder of what had happened to her aunt. "I'll do what you want. I'll stay away from Stefan, no tricks. Just please don't hurt my family anymore." Noticing that her vampire ancestor didn't move, Elena didn't even bother to continue groveling. Whatever Katherine wanted to do, she would, even if Elena begged her not to.

The vampire slowly moved closer, sniffing with disdain at some of the things in Elena's room. "Oh, poor Jenna. You think that I couldn't make life so much worse for you? Of course, I _could_, but I'm feeling particularly lenient today. I just have one thing that I need to do before I leave here, and everyone will be just fine." She dragged her index finger lazily across the vanity that stood just across the room from her doppelganger, a small, sinister smile on her face. "In fact, you won't even be hurt by this," she noted dryly.

Elena backed away from Katherine, suddenly terrified for herself. Never had her sense of self outweighed her sense of family and protecting them. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.

In a flash, Katherine stood in front of her, her hand holding the fragile container of vervain at her neck. "Why do you keep this even though it was a gift from Stefan? Is it because you secretly believe that you will someday be able to see him again, that he'll be able to protect you just so long as you wear this?" Though her voice gave nothing away, Katherine did look particularly peeved about this.

"I just want to be protected from mind control. It works the best." A full two statements without stuttering like a fool. She was making progress.

Clucking her tongue, Katherine murmured, "Oh, but you're wrong about that." Tightening her hold on the necklace, she tore it free. "The best way is to ingest it. That way, it can't be taken away without time and effort."

Elena gasped when Katherine's hand found her chin, holding her face in place to make her stare into her eyes. She knew what was coming. There was a compulsion that would overtake her ability to think freely about whatever the vampire wanted from her.

"First, I'd like to ask you a few questions. Number one—answer me truthfully—do you have feelings other than friendship towards the other Salvatore brother, Damon?"

There was a tug in the back of her mind, but only one simple phrase came out. "I only think of Damon as a friend."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I meant to direct this at your subconscious. Do you have feelings for Damon?"

Abruptly, Elena was forced to relive every moment of her time with Damon. When they'd first met and he'd been so polite. When they danced together at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. When he'd almost died after her biological father had let loose Jonathan Gilbert's invention on the town. Even when he'd tried to protect her from going into the house full of tomb vampires.

But there were also the times when he'd almost killed her or had tried to kill her friends. He'd almost turned her just to get Katherine back. Could she really trust him, even when he hadn't compelled her in Georgia?

"I don't know." The words were forced out of her mouth. "If I knew I could trust him, I would love him."

Heat rose in her face. Had she really just admitted that to _Katherine_? Of course, she hadn't been able to help herself. Maybe she had really been compelled to just _feel_ that way.

"Ah, I see," Katherine murmured. "Well, anyways, why did you sneak around with Stefan when you knew I would literally rip apart anyone you cared for?"

"I love him and I didn't want you to win."

The centuries old woman snarled at that, her face twisting. "You thought you could beat me? Well, it's a good thing I'm always three steps ahead of you then, isn't it? It looks like I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands now, since your protectors are no doubt on their way right now to rescue you."

Elena saw the pupil shift and knew that whatever Katherine was planning would be painful for her, Stefan, and Damon. She wished she could look away from the eyes identical to her own, but she was held there and completely at Katherine's will.

"If you live through tonight, you will forget everything you know about the Salvatore brothers and vampires. All you will remember is that you were adopted and that your long-lost twin Katherine wrote to you saying that she would be coming to town, hoping to reunite with her lost family. You will convince Jenna, Alaric, and Jeremy to let me stay and enroll me in your high school. We're the best of friends right from the beginning," Katherine added, as if to pour salt into the wound. But Elena's eyes were already glazing over with the power of the compulsion. "Once I return, you and I will be inseparable."

Throwing her lookalike across the room, Katherine watched with sadistic glee as she hit the wall with her head, knocking her unconscious. At least until her saviors came to protect her. Whether Elena lived or died was no longer a problem.

Stefan and Damon would pay for what they'd been doing to her. Both would have broken hearts once her little human didn't recognize them.

With that thought leaving her in a good mood, she decided not to spoil it by being around when the Salvatores came bursting into the home, calling for their beloved. _How predictable that they would both fall for the same girl once again. How unfortunate that only one can have her._

Katherine disappeared through the open window, passing over miles as if they were only meters.

_Scene Change!_

"Elena!" both brothers shouted as they slammed through the front door. Stefan still hadn't completely worked the vervain out of his system, so he was moving slower than Damon, who was already up the stairs and in Elena's bedroom.

What he found nearly killed him.

Crumpled in a heap on the floor, Elena's head was cut open and he could see where she'd hit the wall. She was still alive, he knew, but it wouldn't be for long with how much blood was pouring from her. He needed to get her to safety, and he needed to do it fast.

Dropping to her side, he gently cradled her against his chest, wincing at how limp she was. All he could think about was the pain enveloping his person as he imagined her dying. He didn't know if he could handle it.

When he turned to the door, Stefan was there, keeping his distance. He still wasn't completely weaned off human blood, so neither of them would chance him going after Elena in the state she was in.

"Call an ambulance!" Damon ordered as his brother's eyes became fixated on the head wound, though it wasn't blood lust in his eyes. Their eyes probably mirrored the other's, worried and frantic. "If she loses too much blood, they won't be able to give her a transfusion and save her. Get your damn phone out!" He didn't care that he was taking over something that was rightfully Stefan's. Stefan was the one that deserved her, so he should be the one holding her.

But he couldn't bring himself to hand her to him. Knowing that Stefan was a large part of why this had happened to her, every instinct screamed at him that only he could keep her safe, especially if she was bleeding. His younger brother, no matter what he might tell Elena and himself, was still fighting that craving for human blood he might never be able to control.

As Stefan fumbled for his phone, blindly dialing the emergency number, Damon wiped the hair from Elena's forehead, murmuring, "Don't worry, we're gonna take care of you. We can fix this. With God as my witness, I'll kill Katherine for what she's done to you. I promise you that."

He brought her closer and held her to his chest for those precious minutes that seemed like hours until he could hear the ambulance in the distance. Tears almost fell from his eyes, but he wouldn't let them. "They're on their way. You'll be okay."

The ambulance came and two paramedics took her from him. Stefan had disappeared, probably going to the hospital to tell Jeremy and Alaric. Damon wasn't sure if that was a sign of trust or the knowledge of the little power he has over his need, but it didn't really matter. All he knew was that he was going to be riding with Elena to the hospital and then he would apologize to her for not seeing through and killing Katherine a century and a half before that.

_Well, here is my new story! I know it might not be what everyone expected, but I hope you still enjoyed it!_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Though the brothers had tried their hardest to stay in the hospital with Elena as often as possible, they knew that since the blood bank thefts, the hospital staff would be immune to their compulsion; the Council would have undoubtedly found a way to mix vervain into their every day diet, probably through the hospital's lunchroom. And Alaric, not wanting to draw attention to the Gilberts, acted as the legal council that only let them in during visiting hours.

Luckily, Elena's wound wasn't severe. Most of the blood had just been because it was a cut in her head that had required stitches. But what had fascinated the doctors was that every time the teenager had started to wake up in the past two days, she'd somehow willed herself to only be awake for a few minutes then pass right back out.

And it was beginning to annoy Damon.

Why couldn't she do what every other human in her position would have done and just _wake the hell up_? It wasn't like he was asking her for some big miracle; it had only been a flesh wound, really, so she should have been perfectly able open those accusing brown eyes and lash at him with that whip-like tongue again. Maybe he even missed it, but he wasn't about to admit that out loud.

"One of us needs to find Katherine," the elder brother mused, lounging on the couch as Stefan entered the room, freshly out of the shower. "She needs to know that she's gone too far." After Isobel—and everyone else, it seemed—starting outing his little secret, Damon felt even less pressure to deny the allegations. Why fight when the crowd has already made up its mind?

"And how will we do that, exactly?" Stefan asked, his tone dark. "Oh, maybe we'll stab her in the arm with some vervain—wait a second! We can't do that; she's practically invulnerable to it now that she's been drinking it for a century and a half." He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed on his chest.

Standing, Damon smirked at his brother mockingly. "I was thinking something a little more personal. Maybe taking off that ring that keeps her from burning in the sun would do. Meet her in the middle of a clearing at noon, quick steal it from her...bam, no more Katherine." He strode to the window as if to greet his soon-to-be homicide accomplice.

Rolling his green eyes, Stefan moved away from the door and towards his brother, clapping him on the back. "You do realize that you're suffering from severe delusions, don't you? Katherine will never let us get close enough to take her ring."

Glancing over his shoulder, Damon murmured, "Maybe not me."

Though he tried to pretend that it didn't still hurt since he knew what Katherine had done to him, it stung to think that the woman he had spent over a century pining for cared more for his younger brother than him. What was worse, the present form of his love also chose Stefan. No matter who it was, he lost. Maybe if he had just stayed human, he could have found someone that was actually supposed to be his, that would love him more than anyone else.

Unfortunately, hindsight was twenty-twenty and now he was going to fight for the woman he wanted. Even if he didn't win, he wasn't going to play second fiddle without trying.

Stefan sighed and turned away, his answer hesitant. "I'm not going to lure Katherine into some trap when she could get away and just attack Elena or her family all over again. I won't put them in that kind of danger."

The dark-haired brother's anger rose, though he kept it tightly in control. If Stefan loved Elena so much, how could he not be ready to rip Katherine's throat out? All he should want to do was get revenge on the woman that had sent her to the hospital.

Instead, he was hesitating. Could he still be in love with Katherine? Maybe theirs really had been real; it would be harder for him to get past it than it had been for someone who hadn't really felt it. Even if the woman he loved was a self-serving bitch that thought only of herself.

Damon didn't call his brother out on it, though. Some small—maybe even human—part of him stopped him from taunting Stefan as he might have a few months before. "We can work out the kinks later, I'm sure," he said instead, going for the door. "Now, chop chop. We've got a broken girl to check up on. Visiting hours are ticking away."

_Scene Change!_

"She's been awake for much longer today, Mr. Saltzman. I think it's a good sign."

That bright, happy voice. The tone grated on Elena's nerves, though she didn't know why. She'd been hearing the same voices for so long and they were always trying to make the others around her feel better. And the last time she'd heard those voices was when she'd awoken in the hospital after her parents' accident. Maybe that was why she couldn't handle the falsely comforting tones they always used.

"Will she have any problems because she's been unconscious for so long?"

Alaric. He must be visiting her because of his relationship with Jenna.

When the thought of recent events tried to resurface, blankness met her. Though she reached and reached for the information, her mind couldn't grip where the memories should have been. The thought that she didn't know much about her past few months was the most frightening thing that had ever crossed her mind.

Abruptly, her eyes flew open and she was upright in her sterile white bed. She knew immediately where she was. The utter whiteness of the walls and everything else other than the random flowers littering the anything they could sit on.

"Elena!"

The chorus of voices that met her was shocking and made her blink against the onslaught. She turned her head, taking in everyone that was gathered around her.

Jeremy was sitting to her left, seeming relieved. His eyes had heavy bags beneath them, as if he hadn't been sleeping much lately. Next to him, Bonnie had her hand on his shoulder, her eyes filled with tears. Elena could see her practically swaying on her feet. She must have been worn out as well.

Caroline stood next to her, though there was a strange distance between the two. She had her arms crossed tightly across her chest and she kept her eyes on the ground, obviously uncomfortable. To her left was Alaric with the same relieved look on his face as Jeremy. He stood right at the foot of the bed and flashed her a half-smile.

Matt was there too, looking like he had almost cried. Now, however, he was smiling like a fool, obviously very happy to see that she was okay.

The other two men that were next to her, however, she didn't recognize, though a part of her murmured, "Remember them," in a quiet chant. Both were very good-looking, though one seemed like a charming bad boy while the other was a bit more brooding. They both looked happy to see that her eyes were open—had it really been so long?-though their own eyes held secrets, ones that she wanted to know.

Shaking her head slightly, hoping that the pull of a memory that she'd lost would fade, she turned to the rest of the room. "Wh-what happened?" she asked, her voice hoarse after not using it. "Why am I in the hospital?"

The strangers glanced at each other, obviously sharing some thought. Bonnie, Jeremy, Caroline, and Alaric all did the same. Did they all know something that she didn't? Was there something going on here that only she and Matt didn't understand?

"Elena," Alaric said slowly, looking out of the corner of his eye at the new members of this little group. "Do you remember your accident at all? Damon and Stefan say-"

Turning her head towards the two new men, Elena asked, "Are you guys Damon and Stefan?"

There was a long moment of awkward silence as both Damon's and Stefan's features twisted to become murderous masks, though they changed back just as quickly. Everyone was staring at her, making a blush rise in her cheeks. Why was everyone looking at her like she was crazy? Even Matt was watching her with a weird look in his eyes.

Caroline, the first to bounce back, sat down on the end of the bed, her hand resting on Elena's shin. "Elena, are you saying that you don't remember Damon _or_ Stefan Salvatore?" Her voice was very quiet and everyone's breath seemed to hitch on the question, especially the two newcomers.

Trying to force any memories she might have to the forefront, she took in the brothers' appearances.

The green-eyed one was definitely the brooding type, with lightly tanned skin and golden brown hair. He was obviously used to being around this group of people, probably a friend to all of them. He wore a black T-shirt with light, faded jeans. There was a large, ugly ring on his left hand, the blue stone seeming to swirl with power. _Trick of the light,_ she convinced herself to believe. Even the soft way he was watching her was something that pulled at her heart in a way she wasn't sure she'd ever felt before.

The other, however, had piercing, pale blue eyes that could see all the way to her soul. It was like he knew everything that she was thinking, every movement that she was going to make. He held himself away from the group not physically, but on some emotional level. She could tell that the others didn't really care for him either. His perfectly black hair amplified the paleness of his skin as well as that beautiful color of his eyes. He wore a leather jacket and black T-shirt that stretched as his arms crossed over his chest. What shocked her was the fact that he had the same ring as his brother. _Family heirlooms, maybe?_

"I...I'm sorry. I really don't remember the two of you. Should I?"

Again, everyone but her and Matt shared secret looks. Alaric leaned down to whisper to Caroline, who immediately stood up from her spot on the end of the bed, walking over to Matt's side. She took his hand, tugging him towards the door. "Come on, Matt; we'd better let them figure this whole thing out. Besides, it's a little crowded in here."

He started to protest, but she had him out of the room before he could do much else.

After the lovebirds' voices could no longer be heard, Bonnie made an excuse to leave as well, fleeing the room faster than Elena had ever seen her move. It hurt to know that her best friend wasn't going to be around when she needed her, but it wasn't like she could just chase after her. Jeremy and Alaric would probably stop her before she could get out of the room.

Jeremy finally spoke, his voice harsh. Motioning to the golden haired brother, he asked, "You don't remember dating Stefan? You two have been together for the better part of a year."

She'd _dated_ this Stefan Salvatore? Then why couldn't she remember him at all? She could remember when Alaric had shown up—though those details were still a little hazy—and learning she was adopted. She could remember trying to find her birth mother, only to find out that she had died two years before. So why couldn't she remember _him_?

The four men in the room knew from the look on her face what she was thinking. They all shared another of those secret looks, pushing the annoyance that had bubbling near the surface to the front-burner.

"Could you guys stop doing that and let me in on whatever is going on? I don't appreciate not knowing about whatever it is that involves me."

They all looked at Damon, the blue-eyed brother, who sighed. "I _guess_ I can help out with this little predicament you people are in." He sat next to her hip on the bed, staring at her with those haunting eyes. Her breathing nearly stopped when his gaze drifted low on her neck then back up. "What happened to your necklace, Elena? Where is it?"

She touched her neck. She didn't have a necklace that she wore daily. The only time she really wore any jewelry other than earrings was when she was getting dressed up and she hadn't done that much since her parents had died. "My...necklace? I don't know what you mean."

Stefan turned away from them suddenly, growling something underneath his breath. She thought she heard him say something about it being stolen.

"Shut up, Stefan, I need her to concentrate on me for a second," Damon ordered, never taking his eyes off hers. Stefan shot him a look that went ignored. _Is he jealous?_ "So, Elena. I want you to keep looking me in the eyes and listen to every word I'm going to say." When he was sure that he had her attention, he leaned a bit closer, his pupils dilating for a moment. "What do you remember from the past year?"

Something inside her made her answer him as honestly as she could. She described what life was like after her parents' deaths, how Jeremy had gotten into drugs and started semi-dating Vickie. She could remember Vickie's disappearance and Alaric coming to Mystic Falls. Jeremy started actually trying in school and got out of drugs. Finally, she ended with how she'd found out she was adopted and that her birth mother had died.

"And then I got a letter from the twin I'd been separated from."

Everyone froze in the room, staring at her in shock. Damon was the one to speak first. "What's your twin's name, Elena?"

"Katherine. Katherine Pierce. She said that she wanted to come visit to get to know me better. If it's okay with Jenna, I was going to see if she could stay with us."

_Scene Change!_

Right after her response, Damon had left the room without hesitation. Alaric followed after him, leaving Stefan and Jeremy to take care of Elena. Fury rose in his stomach, something that would have made him sick if he was able to get sick.

"Katherine compelled her, didn't she?" Alaric asked, concern making his voice tremble. "And she's made her believe that she's her long-lost twin? How do we convince her otherwise?" He started pacing the hallway, trying to think of something to solve the problem fast. If Elena really did believe that Katherine was her twin and no longer knew about vampires, how would they be able to tell her that Katherine was dangerous?

If Elena couldn't remember her love for Stefan or her semi-friendship with Damon, she would have no reason to protect the secrets of the vampires from the Council.

Damon leaned against the wall, crossing his ankles and his arms. "This was definitely a compulsion. If she lost her memory naturally of Stefan and I being here, she'd have also lost the memory of you coming along, Vickie Donovan's death, and definitely being adopted. What Katherine is making her believe about this twin thing is just the icing on the cake. She's sending Stefan and I a message." He twisted so suddenly that Alaric couldn't see him put a huge hole in the wall until it was there. "There's no way for us to reverse the compulsion; Katherine would have to do it. And she won't do that. Ever."

With that, the Salvatore stormed down the hall, uncaring of the stares sent his way by the staff. He was too full of anger to even flip that switch that would make it all disappear. All he could think of was getting revenge on that woman that had just taken her own selfishness a step too far.

As he was leaving the building, he could hear a chuckle that would have inaudible to a human's ear directly behind him. Spinning, he was face-to-face with the woman that might have cost him Elena. "What the hell are you doing here?" he snarled, hands clenching into fists. He'd never wanted to strike someone as badly as he did right then.

"Oh, has my little doppleganger—oh, wait, I meant _twin—_woken up finally? At least you all know where you stand now," Katherine mocked, standing tall in the knee-high boots that added at least three inches to her height. Her low-rise, dark jeans clung to her like a second skin and her plum-colored tanktop showed off at least an inch of midriff. Her black jacket was the same length, more for a fashion statement than for real use.

She was instantly in front of him, one finger trailing down his chest. "You're going to act like you're mad at me, aren't you? But you don't understand what I could have done." Even as he went to throw her hand away from him, she was already ten feet away. "Damon, I could have just killed her, you know. It would have taken me less time and energy, I'm sure. Then I wouldn't have had to take this necklace she got from Stefan."

When she held up the vervain-filled jewelry, the blue-eyed vampire nearly lost his mind. He lunged for her, but, just as she had the night she'd taken Elena's memories, she caught his attack. Grabbing his fist in her hand, she tossed him as if he were a toy into the side of the building. She had her hand wrapped around his throat, choking him and lifting him off the ground.

"You just don't get it, do you?" she hissed, smirking in his face as he fought for breath. "I'm too strong for you to just attack. And your little girlfriend—who you share with your younger brother _again—_should have never believed that she could best me, in any way." Dropping him to the ground, she cocked her head to one side. "Someday, I'm going to make her pay for that. In the _worst_ way. And there's nothing you or your brother will be able to do about it."

Then, with that threat ringing in the air, she was gone.

_Scene Change!_

Two days after Elena woke up in the hospital, she was brought home with her aunt. Both were ushered in by Alaric and Jeremy as if they were as fragile as glass. Elena had learned that Jenna had had an accident with a knife and guilt had assailed her, though she didn't know why.

"It seems like we're both broken," Jenna joked as she was eased down onto the couch. "Now _they_ have to make _us_ food; I'm thinking something grilled for tonight. Burgers sound good to you?" She smiled at her niece, holding her arm out as far as she could to take her hand.

Elena gave a small grin in return, taking Jenna's hand in hers. She gave one quick squeeze, then sank down into an easy chair, glad to be off her feet. The back of her head—now fully healed—still throbbed and the doctor had told her that it was likely that the goose-egg would be there for a few more days.

"As long as you both keep taking the meds that the doctor wants you to take, we'll make you whatever you guys want," Jeremy said in return, putting down the pharmacy bag on the coffee table.

Alaric followed in after, kicking the door closed with his foot. "Not _anything_, but something that would be within reason. I can grill some burgers and hotdogs tonight, though." He grabbed a throw pillow that was beside the TV, bringing it over to Jenna. Lifting her head gently, he slid it on top of the other that was there and let her rest there once more. "Is that okay, Jenna?"

She smiled brightly up at him. "Perfect."

Their shared look of deep affection brought a shared teenager eye-rolling from the siblings in the room. They were glad that their aunt had finally found one good guy, but the whole lovey-dovey thing was still a little gross. As teenagers, they really didn't like seeing their only maternal figure at this point in time acting like a love-sick puppy.

"Well, I think I'm gonna bring Elena upstairs. She'd probably be more comfortable in her room, anyways." Jeremy gently helped his sister out of the easy chair and helped her upstairs as she swayed on her feet. He brought her up the stairs slowly, making sure to let her lead. "Can you even get up there, or do I need to get someone to carry you?"

Joking. She loved hearing him sounding genuinely happy and actually joking with her. "I think I can make it," she replied with a grin. She tripped slightly as her head seemed to grow heavier. It wasn't necessarily painful, but it was still hard for her to move. At Jeremy's worried expression, she smiled and assured him, "Don't worry. I'm just...a little lightheaded. I'll be fine in a second."

Finally, they made it up to her room. She slowly sat down on her bed and took some deep breaths. Looking around the room, she tried to find any proof that she knew the Salvatores. Maybe there were pictures of her with Stefan, if they'd truly been dating for so long. There had to be _some _evidence of their roles in her life.

The only thing she could find was a picture of her at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. But she wasn't with the green-eyed Salvatore; instead, she was with Damon, dancing. But if she was with Stefan, why would she be escorted to something that had meant so much to her and her mother by his brother?

She turned to look at Jeremy, holding the photo in her hand. "Why am I with the older brother in this picture? Why wouldn't I be with Stefan if he was the one I was dating?" Something was trying to rise in her mind, but fear was the only thing that bled through. For whatever reason, she had been afraid and that was what she'd been feeling while dancing with Damon. She was determined to find out what the circumstances were.

"Uh," Jeremy replied slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, Stefan was...sick. So Damon stepped in to make sure that you had an escort."

His short, simple answer wasn't good enough for her. She could tell that he was hiding something deeper beneath his explanation and she wanted the whole truth. "What aren't you telling me, Jeremy?" she asked quietly, moving closer to him. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to remember anything she could. It was the most painful thing she had ever felt, this not knowing. It was like something had been torn from her that she wanted back but could never have. "I just want to know what I've forgotten. It hurts to know that I've forgotten such a huge part of the last year."

Jeremy stared at her, compassion shining in his eyes. He felt for her plight, rubbing her arm to comfort her. "If I knew the whole story, I'd tell you. But that's all Damon told me." Though he wouldn't tell his sister, the Gilbert son had been told by both Salvatore brothers information that had to be kept from her. Anything relating to their vampirism was strictly off limits, so they'd told him all of the things that could come up that he would have to field questions over.

He hated lying to his sister, but he wanted to protect her. She could be thrust into a dangerous situation if she was given too much information at once.

She searched his eyes for that tell-tale sign that he was keeping something from her, but he had been compelled to give nothing away. When she decided he was telling her all he knew, she wrapped her arms around him, breathing, "I'm sorry for anything that I've done to hurt you that I can't remember. I promise that I'll try to make it up to you once I have my memory back."

Embracing her in a tight, protective hug, Jeremy said, "There's nothing that I haven't already forgiven you for. You did what you had to."

At the tightness in his voice, she glanced up at him. "What do you mean, Jeremy? What did I do?"

Before he could answer, the doorbell rang, making Elena jump. Something in the back of her mind pushed her to rush to the door even though her head throbbed and pounded. She knew she had to be the one to answer the door, otherwise something was going to go wrong.

_Scene Change!_

Standing outside the Gilbert house, Katherine sighed. She was going to have to _live_ in this house until Elena was gone. She knew that, in the end, it would be good for her, but she still didn't want to stay in a drafty old house with the girl that had tried to steal the love of her immortal life.

Either way, she needed to lead them to the doppelganger. Until they took Elena, Katherine would have to stay on the run, and she was sick of it. Besides, with the human out of the way, she would be able to take Stefan back. Maybe she could even stop this idiotic idea of his to only drink animal blood. She shuddered to think of the taste it might leave in her mouth if she kissed him after he drank. Honestly, she did have an affinity for those cute little bunny rabbits, though that was never _ever_ going to be said to _anyone_.

Taking a deep breath, Katherine took a step forward on the porch. _It'll be better for you in the long run,_ she told herself. _Stefan will be yours and so will freedom._ With that thought, she pushed her finger into the doorbell. _Thank God my "twin" is going to be opening the door. Otherwise it will just turn into a big mess._

As she waited for the door to swing open, she wondered how she should act. Though she'd given it much thought, she didn't like that she would have to play nice with a girl she just wanted to kill. And high school in the twenty-first century didn't sound like much fun, either. She'd avoided it by moving around a lot for the past few decades, but now she was willfully going into it. _Stefan and freedom_, she reminded herself. _I need to keep perspective on this one._

The door opened suddenly, and just across the threshold was Elena, who smiled brightly when she saw Katherine. But the vampire saw the wariness behind those brown eyes. _Time to turn on the charm,_ she thought to herself.

"Elena?" she asked quietly, a slow smile spreading on her lips. At the silence that met her, she threw her arms around the human. "I can't believe I finally found you!" Leaving her hands on Elena's shoulders, Katherine leaned back, forcing crocodile tears into her eyes. "Ever since I learned that I was adopted and a _twin_, I've been looking for you and our biological mother!" She forced a lump into her throat at the mention of Isobel and dropped her hands from Elena. "I just...I can't believe that she is...gone."

Elena nodded in answer. "I know. I would have liked to have known her, too. But I guess some things just aren't meant to be." Stepping out of the way , she gestured for Katherine to come in. _Good thing I've already been invited in this house before,_ the vampire thought to herself as she stepped over the threshold and into the house.

She glanced around the foyer as if she'd never seen it before and turned her attention to the Gilbert that stood on the last stair. He was glaring at her because he knew who she really was, but she knew that he had been forewarned that she would be arriving. Unfortunately for him, Elena was loyal to her family and Katherine was now under her protection.

_Oh, how ironic,_ she thought to herself as she gave Jeremy her most dazzling smile. _The woman that's going to kill your sister is being protected by her prey. Delightful!_

_I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I just tried to think of how Elena would react to having a twin and voila! I'm glad the story is finally rolling and I get to work on drama. Woo!_


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Stefan, you do know that your female audience is gone; you can stop the whole brooding thing," Damon noted dryly as he read the paper, trying to act nonchalant. Inside his head, however, was a chaos that he'd never felt before. Charm and wit could cover that up quite well, though. "I know you like to stay in your I'm-so-guilty-save-me character, but I'm not going to help you with that."

The younger Salvatore rolled his eyes, stepping away from the window and bringing his arm down from its perch. "Do you ever take anything seriously?" he demanded, eyes narrowing on Damon. "Elena is _living_ with Katherine and has no idea who or what she is. She has no vervain and is at _Katherine's_ mercy." When the blue-eyed vampire opened his mouth to retort, Stefan immediately added, "And don't act as if you don't have feelings for Elena or her safety when we both know that you do."

"Don't worry so much. I've got a man on the inside," Damon replied, continuing to read his paper. Turning the page, he kept the corner of his eye on Stefan, who had begun pacing.

They were both going crazy at the thought that Elena was actually closer to Katherine than either of them. It didn't matter that she wasn't in danger right at that moment. They just wanted her to remember _something_ about them, even if it was a particularly miniscule trait that one or both of them had. Maybe she would fall in love with Stefan all over again at her high school. Or it could be that she became friends with Damon once again.

Either way, they wanted something that would pull her away from their ex-love.

"A man on the inside? You mean Jeremy," Stefan answered with a sigh. Rubbing the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache, he turned away from his brother. "Jeremy is not a good 'inside man'. If Elena knew about this, she would be wholeheartedly against this. Yet you're still going to put her brother in danger."

Putting down his paper, Damon shrugged with a smirk. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her." As if in thought, he tapped his chin with one long finger. "Unless he gets himself killed. Then we might be in some hot water. _If_ she knew what was going on." Standing, from the couch, he grabbed a small glass of blood. "Fortunately, she wouldn't because she has no idea who or what _we_ are."

Stefan looked over his shoulder at his brother then. "What are you suggesting? And don't try to beat around the bush; we both know you're leading up to something."

"You really do love destroying my dramatic unveilings, don't you?" Demon put his glass down gingerly before he continued. "We need to figure out a way to get Elena's memory back and protect her from Katherine at the same time. Luckily, there are two of us. Shall we draw straws?" he added with another smirk.

"You are not going to be spending time with Elena alone, Damon."

With that, the brothers got into a brief staring contest. Damon knew why his brother was so ready to fight with him over this. He worried over what would happen with Elena's memory gone. Stefan no doubt believed that Damon would take advantage of the fragile situation.

"Afraid of what Elena would feel for me without her knowing you?" he taunted Stefan, suddenly standing right in front of him. The younger's glare turned more heated as his elder brother smiled. "Unfortunately for you, Katherine is obsessed with keeping _you_ away from Elena. She couldn't care less about Elena spending time with me. Besides, I don't have the same amount of..._humanity_ as you do. If Katherine _does_ go after Elena before her memory comes back, then I can protect her better because I won't be arguing in my head, 'Should I kill Katherine? Can I kill Katherine? She looks so much like Elena!'" With one hand on Stefan's shoulder, Damon added, "Safety wise, she's better off with me."

Stefan kept his eyes focused on his brother's, searching for a reason to trust him. He didn't want to entrust someone so precious to his brother, especially when his brother had feelings for the same woman. It was hard to trust someone who had sworn his existence to making sure Stefan was miserable.

Finally, however, he acknowledged that Damon was right. The only way they could keep Elena safe would be if Stefan was the one to find information and she grew closer to Damon. Katherine wouldn't allow it any other way and she was a wild card that they couldn't risk.

Taking Damon's hand, the younger brother shook it just once and dropped it immediately afterward. "You're right. But we're going to set some ground rules before we start this endeavor." Taking a step back, Stefan took a vile of vervain from the desk behind him. "First, she gets vervain every day."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Of course she does. She's _living _with Katherine and has no idea that vampires are real; she's practically screaming 'compel me'." Crossing his arms, he crossed to the other side of the room. "What are these other rules of yours?"

"You won't do anything more than be Elena's friend. She needs to trust you enough to spend time with you but she doesn't need to get any other feelings for you. Understand?" Stefan stood in front of the other Salvatore in a flash. "You're going to be her confidante and nothing else."

Damon's demeanor became almost serious, except for the mocking way he held himself. "I can't promise that she won't fall for my wit and charm, but, on my part, you don't have to worry, oh Great One." He bowed slightly as he would have when he was a human. "I will follow your ridiculous rules"-Damon crossed the room in a second, standing in the doorway that led to the foyer-"but she might not. I don't always have to be in your shadow, _Stefan_."

With that, he was gone, already making his way to Elena's house.

_Scene Change!_

"I'm sorry, this is just so weird!" Jenna exclaimed with an uncomfortable laugh. She was still in the same spot she'd been in when she'd arrived home from the hospital, but she'd showered and changed clothes. With Alaric's help, of course. "I didn't know Isobel had twins! And I'm even more surprised that my sister would let her split up twins!"

Katherine was smiling at Elena's aunt as her twin watched her intently. Something wasn't right about the feeling she got around the other girl, as if she were acting. There was little trust to be given to the lookalike, and Elena wasn't going to be giving it for no reason.

Still, something was making her want to constantly be around her lost sister. It had to be her sense of family. All she wanted since she found out that she was adopted was to know her biological mother and Katherine was her only line to Isobel. So, she would get to know her sister better and, hopefully, they could actually be friends. Someday. Maybe.

"I don't know why we were split up, but I'm glad I got to grow up with my parents," Katherine was saying, a small smile playing on her lips. "My father was strict and _very_ old-fashioned, but he would do anything to protect the family. And my mother... My mother was my best friend," she ended on a whisper, eyes dropping to her hands. "I would do anything to have her back." The faraway tone to her voice clutched at Elena's heartstrings, but her words caught her even harder.

"Your adoptive parents died?" Elena asked, suddenly interested in the coincidence. "When?" She knew it was insensitive and would probably only make Katherine upset, but she was reaching for anything that would connect her to her sister. Even if it was something morbid, at least there would be some kind of bond, something that made it seem more like they were family rather than just strangers.

A hard light came to Katherine's eyes and she put down the glass of water that she'd brought to her lips. "A long time ago." Her short answer shocked the room, but she quickly regained her composure. With a shy smile, she apologized. "I'm sorry. It's just...it still hurts when I think too much about it. They didn't deserve to die the way they did."

Jenna and Elena both glanced at each other with unspoken questions. Without a word, they agreed that they would save their questions for some other time or just wait for her to say what had happened herself.

Katherine must not have seen the shared look because her smile didn't fade. Instead, she said, "I know this is a little presumptuous, but I was hoping...do you think that I could stay here? Just until I can find a place of my own?" She didn't try to plead or beg, just searched the two gazes for an answer.

"Of course," Jenna answered brightly, a little surprised that the question had even come up. "You're Elena's sister and therefore my niece. Mi casa es su casa." A grin lit her face in return to Katherine's grateful one. "And don't worry about getting a place of your own. This house is plenty big enough for all of us as long as you would like to stay."

"Thank you, Jenna," she murmured in response, her eyes turning to her sister. "Uhm, is it okay if you and I spend a little time together alone? I'd...well, I'd really like to get to know you better. You're really the only lifeline I have with my birth mother and I've always wanted a sister."

Elena smirked and glanced into the kitchen where Jeremy stood at the counter, whispering heatedly with Alaric as he helped with dinner. "Between you and me," she mumbled, leaning closer to Katherine as if telling a secret, "siblings aren't all they're cracked up to be. In fact, they're a lot of work." She sat back in her seat, laughing softly so her sister would understand that it was merely a joke. She loved her brother with all her heart, would do anything for him.

"I've never had a sibling. The _closeness_ I've seen between the ones I've met is something I've always craved." Katherine's eyes narrowed as she seemed to become lost in thought for a few moments. "It's like...no matter what they do, you can't help but forgive them."

She locked gazes with Elena at that moment, but the Gilbert knew that she wasn't really seeing her. "Even when they love the same person, want the same person for their own, they'll come together for the good of that person. Only if something happens to that person do they really begin hating each other." Katherine shook her head, coming out of her own mind. "Sorry, that only happens when I'm thinking to hard," she said with a chuckle. "Would it be all right if I go upstairs to take a shower? I feel like I've been soaking in my own sweat all day."

"Oh, that's fine! The bathroom is up the stairs, to the right. First door on your left," Jenna replied, her smile widening at the sense of normality that came with the thought of this Katherine girl staying with them. "Towels are in the pantry cupboards inside."

Katherine smiled and nodded, moving up the stairs gracefully.

Almost the moment the shower could be heard upstairs, the doorbell rang. Elena jumped up just as Jenna tried to and went to the door. "Stay put, Aunt Jenna. You wouldn't even be able to get up before you turned forty," she joked, sticking her tongue out at her aunt.

"Which is a _very_ long ways away, Elena Gilbert!" Jenna retorted, throwing a pillow as best as she could at her niece. They both laughed as Elena made her way to the door.

The doorbell rang another time, so Elena shouted, "Hold on! We've got injured women in here!" In a few more footsteps, she reached the door, opening it slowly, looking back at her aunt who was trying to look over the back of the couch in a comical fashion.

Laughing, Elena turned to their guest, immediately recognizing him from the hospital. "Damon Salvatore, right?" she asked as his charming smile flashed at her. "What are you doing here?"

She tried to keep her voice light, but something in her stomach fluttered as he watched her with those secretive blue eyes. This was a different feeling than she'd had with his brother, who hadn't been without his own charm. But he had called to the part of her that needed to be protected. Elena's own loyal, protective side had been called to by this older Salvatore, something she'd never felt before with anyone except family. But, if she didn't have any memories of them, how could she know which meant more other than the hearsay of others?

"Just coming to check in on you, making sure your memories haven't come back," he said in a friendly way, though there was a certain amount of searching in his eyes. "Don't want you to remember what a dick I usually am."

_Is he...joking? Why doesn't it feel like he's joking?_ Elena wondered, though she brushed it off. He was just trying to make her feel less alien with this whole not-remembering-certain-things thing. "Well, come on in. You can check over my memory at dinner. And meet my twin sister, Katherine."

The moment she said the words, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something inside her told her that it was a bad idea, that something bad would happen, but she wouldn't let it control her. Anything that could connect her to the past she had forgotten was welcome. The doctors had warned her that it might come back in bits and pieces, but the longer she couldn't remember, the more likely that they would be lost forever.

And Katherine would be a part of the rest of her life, hopefully.

"I don't want to be a burden, but since you invited me," Damon said, stepping into the house. He walked with her into the living room, where Jenna sat glaring at him. "Hello, Jenna."

"Just because she forgot what a pig you can be doesn't mean I haven't. Keep your hands off of her," Jenna warned in a maternal tone that would have made Elena laugh at any other time. Now, however, her words were more important. What had Damon done to Elena in the past that had made Jenna so standoffish?

Damon's smile never wavered. "Don't worry about me, Jenna. Until she remembers, I can keep my hands off of her." Turning his piercing eyes to Elena, he gestured for her to take his arm. "Shall we?" he asked, motioning to the kitchen. When she just looked at his arm, he shook it. "I don't offer my arm to just any girl, Elena. You'd better take it while the offer's there," he joked, taking her hand and putting it in the crook of his arm.

She giggled a little, then giggled more just because she was giggling. "Offering your arm? What century are you from, again?" she asked, a little foot-entering-mouth warning bell going off in the back of her head.

As they made their way into the kitchen, Damon murmured, "The nineteenth, actually." He winked at her when they were out of Jenna's line of sight. "I'm a true gentleman."

Laughing again, Elena was surprised to find Alaric and Jeremy staring at her as if she'd grown a second head. Damon must have noticed as well because the hand resting softly on hers tightened around her fingers slightly before he let his arm drop to his side. "Hey," he said simply. "What're you guys making?" He strode away from her, leaving her with the feeling of being ditched in the middle of her own house.

"Burgers. You probably want yours rare, though, and we didn't make any that way," Jeremy replied, glaring at their guest. The Gilbert eyes bore into the newcomer, obviously trying to scare him off, even though it was doubtful that that would happen. Something about Damon screamed that he was hard to frighten away.

"He can just have one of mine," Elena said with an older sister bite in her tone. "I don't need two." She crossed to where Alaric had placed the plate of freshly grilled burgers, picking it up to bring it to the table. "Are we eating in the living room with Jenna or at the table?"

Alaric, who seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when Damon entered the room, said, "Your aunt needs to take her medicine, so she'll fall asleep in ten minutes anyway, so I was just planning on being in the dining room."

Nodding, Elena started towards the dining room until Damon took the plate from her. She tried to take it back, but he held it over her head. "Damon, I can carry that myself."

"Yeah, but what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't carry this for you?"

She stopped at that, watching him walk into the dining room. Why did it seem so strange that he would be acting like this? Why was she expecting to be constantly on her toes with sharp wit? An uncomfortable feeling blossomed in her stomach and started to spread throughout her. She tried to push it out of her thoughts, but it was still there.

So she bolted for the upstairs, leaving Damon alone with Jeremy, since Alaric was busy with Jenna. Wasn't she supposed to be with Stefan? Why did she have feelings for Damon then?

As she rummaged through her bedroom, pretending to look for something to cover up for her sudden disappearance, she lost herself in thought, searching for any answers that might come to her. She just wanted one memory, just one. She pushed herself, as hard as she dared, for at least ten minutes, just sitting on her bed, when something came to mind.

_"Can I trust you?"_

_ "Get in the car."_

The words came with no images, but she recognized her voice and then Damon's. Nothing about the scene surrounding the words came to mind. It still meant the world to her. Maybe she could remember bits and pieces until the scene became a whole and she could move on to other memory achievements.

"Elena, what are you doing?"

She jumped at Damon's voice in her bedroom doorway. Getting to her feet, she dusted off her jeans, though there was nothing on them. "I came up here looking for something but I didn't find it. I don't know where it went." She had no idea what she couldn't find, but she wasn't going to be telling him that. "I was trying to back-track where I might have put it."

Looking at her questioningly, Damon crossed the room, holding his hand out to her. "Well, the food is done." When she didn't take his hand immediately, he shook it in her face. "Come on. And on our way down, you can tell me what you were really doing up here."

Elena reached for Damon's hand, using it to pull herself up. A little shock went up her arm, making her pull away and bring her hand behind her back. His eyes locked where she'd pulled her hand for a long moment and then he started to say something.

"Oh, well, this is awkward."

They both twisted to look over Damon's shoulder, finding Katherine standing in nothing but a towel in the doorway. Elena hadn't even heard her open and close the door to the bathroom, much less walk across the hall to her bedroom. Now, however, she took a hasty step away from the Salvatore, blushing.

"Katherine, I didn't hear you leave the bathroom," Elena said quickly, not meeting her twin's eyes. She moved to the closet, pulling the door open. "If you need something to wear, my clothes should fit you. There isn't much to choose from, but I'm sure you'll find something that you'll like."

Smiling in thanks, Katherine crossed the room and grabbed randomly from the small space. She came out with a maroon T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "These are just fine. I'll just go change." She pointed back to the bathroom with a knowing glance tossed at Elena. As Katherine disappeared, the other sister thought she saw a wink thrown at Damon, who was just as rigid as she was.

Turning to Damon, Elena rubbed her arm, uncomfortable. "That's my...um...twin, Katherine."

Without a word, he left the room. She was positive that he had ignored her and she hoped that it wasn't because of her twin's half-naked appearance in the room.

She followed him out with a sigh, surprised that he was halfway across the living room when she reached the top of the stairs. She wondered how he could have gotten there so quickly, but her thoughts were cut short when Katherine's voice spoke just behind her head, "He certainly looks delicious. I wonder if he has a brother that I could have."

Waving back at Elena in an almost condescending way, Katherine made her way downstairs, sashaying towards the dining room. Elena followed after her sister, making sure to keep her distance. Though she really had no reason to, she felt an anger and distrust that she'd never felt when she had only just met someone. Why would she already not trust the one person that could link her to her biological family?

"Elena, you took your time," Damon noted dryly as she sat down next to him, the only seat available since Katherine had taken the seat at the head of the table. Jeremy was at her right reluctantly, Alaric next to him. Damon had left the seat to her left open and the sixth chair had seemingly disappeared.

But Elena shouldn't feel such a strong need to be as far away from Katherine as possible. She couldn't understand the feelings that were arising and she definitely didn't want them.

_Remember._

She recognized the voice in some hidden part of her brain, but she couldn't place it. And it made her want to remember. She wanted to know who the Salvatores were and why she felt so many conflicting emotions where they were concerned. She wanted to know more about Katherine and her birth mother and why just the thought of the two of them could make her flinch. But nothing came to her, not even after that little snippet when she'd been in her room.

All she wanted was knowledge.

"Sorry," she murmured absently, picking up her hamburger delicately. She weighed her every movement carefully, making sure that she her discomfort was inconspicuous, even though she knew she only made herself more noticeable.

The table was silent for a long time, except for the sound of everyone chewing their burgers. Jeremy looked like he wanted to say something at one point, but one glance at Damon and he seemed to think differently. Tension grew at the table, even though Katherine seemed oblivious. Or maybe she just didn't care. Either way, Elena was realizing that no one but her really wanted her twin around at this point. They all made it abundantly clear with the way that they kept pointedly ignoring her.

Finally, Elena stood, taking her dirty plate with her. "Well, as stimulating as this conversation really is, I'd really like to go to bed. Good night."

Damon came to his feet beside her just as Jeremy and Alaric both moved to. "Don't bother. I'll make sure she gets up there okay." He took the plate from her, keeping his eyes strictly anywhere but at her. His robot-like movements gave her the feeling that he was ready to strangle her for whatever reason, but was just able to control himself.

Elena had no idea why he had any reason to be mad at her. Just as she was about to call him out on his rude behavior, he grabbed her by the arm and tugged her towards the upstairs. Though Katherine suggested that she follow after them, Damon had Elena in her room before her twin could catch up with them. His hold on her was tight enough that she worried if he would cut off circulation.

He slammed the door behind them, practically tossing her across the room. He was in her face in a matter of seconds, snarling. "Are you really this stupid or are you trying to get yourself killed?" he demanded, blue eyes searching her brown ones. "You let her just make herself at home here when you don't even _know_ her!"

"Excuse me, but I don't know _you_ either and I'm locked in here with you right now!"

His face was suddenly only an inch from hers. "But I'm trying to protect you. She might be trying to _kill_ you." His voice was so quiet, she was sure that she had misheard him. How could he know what Katherine wanted when he'd never even spoken to her? Besides, she doubted that being alone with a strange man was any better for her than to be with her twin sister.

"How would you know?" she asked, eyes narrowing on him. "She's my sister. And it isn't like she's the one dragging me around. You're the one that's acting suspicious, not her."

Glaring down at her, he looked like he was ready to tear her a new one when Jeremy came bursting into the room. When they both turned angry gazes at him, he muttered, "Uh, sorry to barge in, but Alaric wanted me to see what was the plan for tonight." The younger Gilbert rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable. "Katherine is taking the extra room, I guess, but he wants to know what's the plan with you, Damon."

"He's leaving."

"I'm staying."

Elena stared at him, shocked. "And where do you think you'll be staying? We've got one guest room and there isn't room in the living room."

She knew in that secret place where her memories were hiding that it was a stupid question. She knew that he thought that he was going to stay in her room with her, but until she remember him, she definitely didn't want him to stay alone with her in her room overnight. And she could feel that someone wouldn't be okay with it. She didn't know why someone's opinion that she didn't know meant so much, but she wasn't about to fight the feelings.

But all of her arguments were lost as Jeremy and Damon seemed to decide everything themselves. She saw Katherine walk past her bedroom door behind them and caught her angry look. Was it supposed to be directed at her or Damon? Either way, her twin did not look happy and Elena wondered what she was missing that everyone else seemed to be in on.

_Scene Change!_

"Did you find out anything, Stefan?" Damon asked, keeping his voice low as he spoke into his cellphone. He stood next to Elena's window, watching as she slept fitfully in her bed in the center of the room. "Katherine's definitely planning something; she's keeping surprisingly close to Elena." He paused, holding his breath as he listened for movement in the house.

In the next room, Katherine was reading something, the pages flipping every so often and telling him that she definitely wasn't going to be falling asleep with him under the same roof. Across the hall, Jeremy was tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep. He wasn't able to, though, with his sister in so much danger. Katherine had every opportunity to hurt Elena whenever she felt like it.

But Alaric was the one that Damon kept his ears on. The vampire hunter was trying to come up with a way to keep Elena safe without exposing the truth to her. If he tried to play the hero, however, he might cause the family more grief. Katherine had proved that she would go as far as she felt that she needed if her plans didn't go the way they were supposed to. So, unless they came up with a plan to _kill_ Katherine, not just get her out of the Gilbert house.

_"I haven't found much, but I've got a couple leads on vampires that might be able to help us,"_ Stefan replied, fiddling with something on the other side of the phone connection. _"I'm going to find them tonight. You coming with?"_

Damon smirked, finding joy in annoying his little brother. "Actually, I've been invited to spend the night here. I'm going to make sure Katherine doesn't come in to kill Elena in her sleep."

Stefan growled possessively into the phone. _"Don't touch her, Damon. I'll keep an eye on them at school, but if you're going to be spending your time there, I want to have your word that it's just as her friend."_

"Fine, fine, you have my word. But you'll have to talk to her about hers." With that, he disconnected the call and put his phone in his pocket. He wondered if Elena could get her memories back without Katherine giving them back to her, knowing that they really shouldn't get their hopes up. The chances that it would actually work were slim and he _was_ leaving most of the important work to Stefan.

_All because you really are in love with this human girl,_ Damon thought to himself, moving to Elena's side as fast as he could. Much as he had just when he started to feel something for her, he gently stroked down her cheek with one finger. But it was different now. Instead of having any left over feelings for Katherine that clouded his judgment, everything he felt was for Elena and he would do anything to keep her safe from anyone that might try to hurt her.

_Here's chapter two. I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter will have some more Stefan and a little more of the Elena/Katherine dynamic. Until next update, I hope this is enough!_


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